 Need help with setting., Kansas City 2070 |
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 Mar 30 2006, 12:38 PM
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#1
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Target  Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384  |
I am getting ready to start up my first SR campaign ever using the 4th edition rules. I am an experienced GM, just not with SR. Anyway, I have decided to use Kansas City as the setting since the players are new RP'ers and alrady familiar with the basic layout of the city. I also like the fact that little to nothing is detailed about it, giving me lots of freedom.
Anyway, here is the document I have worked up over the last week. Some area's are still a bit rough on the wording, but its mostly done. What I am asking is that more experienced people give it a look-over and tell me if I am totally going against canon with items, or if it "fits" OK. I realize its "my" world, but I try to keep it as official as I can. Also, if anybody has any ideas/input/etc. feel free to throw them my way. There will be at least a few more revisions before its "done" and I will post it up again once thats done in case anybody wants to use it for...something. File is a 3.5meg PDF thats been zipped. Just an FYI. http://www.deathguard.org/downloads/shadowsofkc.zip Cheers. |
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Mar 30 2006, 06:19 PM
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#2
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Target Group: Members Posts: 14 Joined: 31-January 06 Member No.: 8,216 |
Very interesting read, Kenshin. I've driven through KC several times and stayed overnight there more than once, so I'm no expert on the neighborhoods. So all of that stuff I can't comment on, aside from general stuff. It looked to me like there where only small pockets of relatively calm areas outside of the downtown core. With a sizeable population, there should be more middle ground areas, in my mind. My reasoning is that the people living in the worst areas will largely SINless and therefore not official citizens. That's a small thing, though. I also wondered about the construction of the NeoNET arcology AFTER the 2.0 crash. The Renraku Arcology took over 20 years to complete, and the scale might be totally different, but maybe it should still be under construction? The arcology was inhabited for most of the construction period, IIRC, with the higher ups moving up into the building as it was built. Otherwise, I'd like to see some specific locations detailed. What happened to that amusement park (Worlds of Fun?) And doesn't KC have legalized gambling? It might be interesting of KC took over the role of Las Vegas for the UCAS. Also, given the geography and closeness of the NAN, I would think that there would be a some sort of UCAS military presence nearby as well as some fair amount of distribution infrastructure to enable trade and commerce between the NAN and UCAS. What about a large airforce base that serves as the new Strategic Air Command for the UCAS? Cool, though. It looks good to me, bro! :D |
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Mar 30 2006, 06:48 PM
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#3
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Hmm...perhaps you are right. Actually I just need to detail it more, as most all of KCMO, Shawnee Mission, and KCK are all "middle ground" for the most part. Maybe I have too many "Z" rated zones.....I will give it more thought.
Both good ideas! Yes, KC we have gambling here, maybe I should hype that up some more, I totally forgot about it. Hmm..maybe I could add a Yakuza or Triad-ran casino as a means to get them into the city.
Fort Leavenworth is a military base, maybe I will just have them control the entire town and step up the military presence. What do you mean by distribution infrastructure excatly? Thanks for the input! |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:06 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 3-November 05 From: KCMO Member No.: 7,922 |
That was really well thought out. Good job!
Thanks for including the few things that I had mentioned to you! I did have a couple of things. There is a VERY small Native American presence in KC, mostly as an outreach thing, specifically The American Indian Council, on Armour, & the Heart of America Indian Center, on 39th. (This is only important to me 'cause my character is Native American. :D ) Also, I was not entirely accurate with the Z rated zone south of the Grandview Triangle. My gm has not shared with me about the rest of Grandview, but the entire Hickman Mills area IN Grandview is Z rated and called, simply, "The Mill." I do know that, in our game, Renraku has a definite presence downtown. Also, another character in my group belongs to a troll go-gang called the Hawgz. I like the Overlords thing, maybe he'll want the Hawgz to be affiliated to the Overlords....hmmmm.... Overall, I thought your document was REALLY well thought out & well presented. I'm going to guess your based near Leawood, right? :rotfl: Anyway, excellent job! I've forwarded your doc to my gm, just fyi, to get his input as well. I hope that's okay. |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:25 PM
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#5
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Interesting...I has assumed that there was no Amerindian presence in the city.
Oooh, I like that.
Renraku eh? I would be interested to see how your GM is using them in the city, I could easily make mine fit that though...as nothing has started on our end yet. As far as the Hawgz, how big are they? I was only detailing the "larger" gangs, so it could easily exist in my setting as a smaller one.
Sure, I would love to know what he has setup for the area. I am actually in Overland Park. I ran into one of your gaming group at TableTop the other day, small world. |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:33 PM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 453 Joined: 15-August 02 From: Kansas City, MO Member No.: 3,116 |
Thoughts without having read your piece yet... Regarding military: Don't forget Whiteman Airforce base just an hour east of town. All the stealth bombers in the world are based there. Fort Leavenworth won't even be around for another 10 years given the trend to close old bases. Whiteman... that's the shit, dude. Also consider the trend of growth in Eastern Jackson county... the city is growing east. Regarding gambling: Yes. In the SR dystopian future I think you should strongly consider the influence of Native Americans on this topic. Native American gambling plays an increasing role in gambling nationwide and is a great way for low-income tribes to make money with little effort. But it also brings with it graft and corruption.... exactly what drives the SR future. Screw the Yaks and Triads, KC is too far inland and middle America will always be middle America (you can't get good sushi, what Japanese population would stand that for very long?) Regarding zones of the city: SR typically takes an affluent part of a town and turns it upside down (witness Redmond). Continuing that trend would lay waste to Overland Park and the current affluent SW portion of the city. Just some ideas. |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:37 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 453 Joined: 15-August 02 From: Kansas City, MO Member No.: 3,116 |
Kudos for using Ghost in the Shell imagery for downtown! Correct me if I'm mistaken. =)
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Mar 30 2006, 07:44 PM
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#8
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
And yet another good point. Maybe I will just have Leavenworth kind of fall apart after the closing of the base. I had somehow forgotten Whiteman, so thats great. Thanks. One major issue I had was to come up with something that was both "realistic" (well, as realistic as elves and dragons I guess) but still managed to get the SR feel. For starters, I had to sort of force the city inward. Its not a huge city by any means, partly because its so spread out. As such, currently its expanding south via Johnson County, and East by areas like Lee's Summit. I could keep one, but not the other. Having decided from the start that the Spring HQ would be important meant I had to keep at least part of JoCo so I had to end the trend east-ward (via the Crash of '29 and a tornado). I also basically figure any expansion past about 135th would degrade as people shifted back to where the jobs were going (ie: downtown).
I can't believe I totally missed gamblings...heh. I guess as a non-gambler myself I dont think about it too often. I will definately add something about that. Yea, KC is a "mafia town" completely, I would like to include the others, but just couldn't. Either way, gambling needs some detail.
Is this a trend for just Seattle or in general? Again, I had planned from the start to have something big happen with the Sprint HQ (as the largest company in KC I figure I had to), so I couldn't just lay waste to it completely. Are you part of Valentinew's group by chance? |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:44 PM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Having no artistic skill at all I used what was at hand. Odd how the picture has a river in it as well, it almost COULD be KC....its perfect. :) |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:46 PM
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#10
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,000 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Halifax, Canada Member No.: 7,975 |
Not every arcology took 15+ years to build.. the Mitsuhama and Aztechnology towers only took about 5 or so to build... It all depends on the size of the building and what it features. |
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Mar 30 2006, 07:58 PM
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#11
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Yeah, the base of Renraku pyramid is what 10 square city blocks, houses one hundred thousand people, and is basically an island in a sea of urban decay.
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Mar 30 2006, 08:04 PM
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#12
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Hmm, with the "trend" of taking affluent sections and turning them upside down, perhaps I will somewhat copy this setup. I could easily have NeoNET gobble up land and basically shut everything around itself down. Leaving the arcology to dominate while the rest of JoCo falls into decay. Hmmmm....... Maybe expand the Northland and KCK a bit to add more people and actually make Downtown the true "heart" of the city. I should have posted my thoughts up earlier, as all of this is good for the brain thus far. |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:17 PM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 453 Joined: 15-August 02 From: Kansas City, MO Member No.: 3,116 |
No, I dont' think anyone else in my SR realm reads Dumpshock. We don't play often anymore, just the logistics of family. After reading the piece it's quite nice, though I'd love to see more detail. The portions on the areas of town seem like not much has changed from today... the Plaza was still the Plaza, Westport was still Westport, Crown Center was still just Crown Center. Speaking of Crown Center, I don't know if you get up to that area often but Crown Center is one of the closest things to an existing arcology that currently exists. It's not only ENORMOUS (concealed by its lack of great height) but it's also terribly diverse... professional offices, shopping, dining, medical, residential, etc. Hell, the underground parking garage is a city by itself with a carwash, auto repair facility, and other amenities for residents. It's really something. In my world it's called the Crown Arcology. In stark contrast I see the Sprint Campus becoming vacant when Nextel finally lays out the law. ;) |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:25 PM
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#14
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Its really setup to be a brief overview, sort of a primer for the area so I can get my game going. Good point on some of the area's....I think I tend to think of current trends and just modernize them.
Does this Arcology in your world fall under one corporation? I honestly dont get to crown center too often, but now that you mention it....the area would be PERFECT for an arcology, moreso than even what I went with. Plus it puts it closer to Downtown.
Interesting..... |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:36 PM
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#15
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,174 Joined: 13-May 04 From: UCAS Member No.: 6,327 |
What he means I think is a place that would enable for processing and aid in the commerce such as a rail depot, warehouse facilities, trucking facilities. If KC is now the closest city for UCAS to the NAN lands, then it would be a stopping point for trade between the UCAS and NAN. Rail and trucking would still be the major transportation tool for goods and if KC is the hub, then naturally major facilities would develop to help allow the goods after entering into the UCAS to be distributed on to other trucks/trains/aircraft, etc for distribution to the rest of the UCAS. Also there's customs and inspections for goods flowing over the borders and facilities may be needed for that too. |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:42 PM
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#16
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Actually, KC sits right on I70 which appears to be the major highway from the denver area into the UCAS. It also sits on I35, which would be the major route north from Dallas (CAS). KCK also has a large rail yard. As such, perhaps Bonner Springs (west of KCK and on I70) would be good for a distrobution center handling NAN and Denver; with maybe Shawnee Mission as a spot for distrobution from the CAS (I35).... |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:49 PM
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#17
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 453 Joined: 15-August 02 From: Kansas City, MO Member No.: 3,116 |
Don't forget the new multi-modal transportation hub established south of town. That's an enormous area and has seen dramatic investment over the last 10 years. It's designed to be the gateway for distribution coming and going between Mexico, Canada, and both coasts. THAT would be the reason for the boom in population size. I was a little stunned to see you projected 6M people in the metro. =) Speaking of the route from Mexico, you should consider touching on the presence of Aztechnology. I don't remember seeing this in my reading. Such an important trade hub would most likely have some significant corporate and diplomatic presence from the Azzies. Add to that KC's exploding Hispanic population and voila. =) |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:59 PM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 453 Joined: 15-August 02 From: Kansas City, MO Member No.: 3,116 |
The Hall Corporation, naturally. A world-wide media and services congolmerate still based in KC. The Hall family's holdings today include Hallmark (cards and retail stores), Hall's (department stores), The Hallmark Channel, Hallmark.com, and other financial services. The sky is the limit. Don't forget that H&R Block is another giant corporation based here in town, with their new corporate HQ currently being built downtown. Perhaps the future would bring a Block-Hall merger: Block-Hall, Hall-Block, H&B, no idea what form that name would take. Thoughts to consider. |
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Mar 30 2006, 08:59 PM
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#19
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
OK now to be honest I dont know excatly what your talking about with the multi-model hub, I will have to look into that. 6m seems low or high? I was using the unofficial stats on the 6th World Wiki for the population number..... :) As usual, thanks for the input....I am already forming idea's for change, for the better I think. |
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Mar 30 2006, 09:04 PM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 137 Joined: 21-February 06 From: Lenexa, Kansas (Yes Kansas, we ain't all hicks y'all.) Member No.: 8,291 |
Wow, there are a lot more folks from Kansas then I would have thought.
Definately more a Mafia town than anything else, but that can always change in 70+ years. You could always use Jenny's, that tiny Italian place that was downtown and there was talk of it being a front for the Mafia. About American Indians, there is Haskell University down in Lawrence, I could imagine that being something important. Frankly I see it as having been an internment camp, and perhaps it could be a monument or some such now. |
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Mar 30 2006, 09:05 PM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 16-March 06 From: Overland Park, KS Member No.: 8,384 |
Heh, I was trying to stick to established corporations for the larger items. I actually had Hallmark get absorbed by Horizon, being that they are so big in advertisement and marketing. Actually, with 4th edition and Horizon being the "new big thing" in the corporate world, maybe I could build on that for the arcology in/on Crown Center for my setting. Currently my proposed change for the setting: 1. Move the arcology to Crown Center. Its too perfect to not do. 2. Add in more detail about the trade and gambling. This is important and something I missed from the original concept. 3. More detail on KCMO and KCK itself, right now its a little light. 4. Maybe change the "tornado"/Crash thing to affect JoCo instead of the East. Turning it into a haven for go-gangs (lots of large, wide streets) and perfect for gangs to stage hijackings for I35. 5. Add in some detail about Sports. Any ideas for a basketball team we could have? |
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Mar 30 2006, 09:07 PM
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#22
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,174 Joined: 13-May 04 From: UCAS Member No.: 6,327 |
Hmmm... is there any bball team in the NAN lands that you can see them moving their franchise during the time of troubles over to KC? Or do you think a new one would be established? |
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Mar 30 2006, 09:08 PM
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#23
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Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 453 Joined: 15-August 02 From: Kansas City, MO Member No.: 3,116 |
The old airfield is the Richards-Gebaur field south of Grandview. Check this out: article here Key point from article: "Kansas City is the only U.S. city the Mexican government has agreed to negotiate with for a customs operation on U.S. soil." Apparently the Mexican customs port will be in the west bottoms near what is now Kemper but in years to come will not be Kemper. =) 6M just seems kinda high. If the Wiki says it, then it must be true! =) |
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Mar 30 2006, 09:24 PM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 3-November 05 From: KCMO Member No.: 7,922 |
As an afterthought (& this has nothing to do with my group) KC has a pretty good size Irish population (Celtic Fringe, Hibernians, Irish Northern Aid, etc)...that might ratchet up the elven population some....
Naw, my gm checks this place out on occasion, but I'm the only ds'er in the group. Where are you based out of, CoolG?
He just told me. He's very excited about reading your document. Said the guy at the game store was telling you about some book on the history of KC? We're kinda interested in that title 'cause we just finished a run that involved the steam tunnels downtown....
I don't think it's very big. They occupy part of an apartment complex where my team is based, just south of Bannister (I think). I know they're ALL trolls, & they're a go-gang. I'll try to find out more, if you like. If we come up with anything else, I'll let you know... |
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Mar 30 2006, 09:28 PM
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#25
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 207 Joined: 3-November 05 From: KCMO Member No.: 7,922 |
Not Kansas here. Missouri. Same City, different state. :grinbig: Cascone's & Garrozzo's are big mafia places, too. I've never been to Cascone's, but I've heard some things. I HAVE been to Garrozzo's, & the number of guys there in suits & dark glasses was too funny! In our game, Lawrence is the big AmerInd area near KC. There's really only a token population in KC, mostly outreach & those who don't really want to affiliate with the NAN. And now, my lights just flickered, so I'm going offline for a bit. There's more I want to comment on, but it'll have to wait till the storm goes by. Later, all! |
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